~Sewing List for Kiersten...Updated~

The puzzle ball is done!!! I put jingle bells in each section and finished sewing it Saturday afternoon. It was fairly easy to complete. I would change the order of the colors a bit if I made another one. I'd also like to make one with textured fabrics.

Here is dolly...I really like how she turned out! See her little alphabet legs!!?!? She was so much fun to make...can't wait til Kiersten "needs" lots of dolls for tea parties ;-)

Since Kiersten was awake when I finished her ball, I showed it to her! Her eyes got really big and then she started flapping her arms. When she kicked her legs, the ball made noise and that brought on a lot more kicking!

I does seem to be a bit big for her right now...Can't wait to give it to her on Christmas ;-)

The next thing on my list is her dress...that may be a two week project!

~The Things they Say & Do~

Nathan..."Can you squish my apple mom?"

Nathan hands me the apple cutter.

Mom..."Yes Nathan but please wait until I'm done cutting up the chicken."

Nathan..."Mom, can I just eat it like this?"

Nathan takes a pretend bite.

Mom..."Sure Nathan"

Mom finishes cutting chicken, washes her hands and looks at Nathan happily chewing the last bite of apple...He ate the whole apple...and I do mean the WHOLE apple.

Mom..."Yikes, my belt just broke"

Eric..."Was it made in China?"

~11 weeks~

She wakes up happy...

She plays...

She gets rocked...

She sleeps...

A wonderful 11 weeks of cuddles and smiles!

~Crafting in Christmas Past~

I have been Christmas Crafting! I started a few weeks ago and I've been moving VERY slowly! Anyway, I love Monica's and Miss Emily Rose's Christmas posts. Monica is giving one new Handcrafted Christmas idea each Thursday. Miss Emily Rose is hosting a Homemade Christmas Today, Dec 1, 15 & 29.

This week, I am going to share some of the gifts I made in the past!

I made one of these for my parents and one for myself. I believe we only had the three boys at this time. I used three different colored greens for their hands. One of the boys used their finger tip for the berries in red. I hand quilted around the wreath and put a nice boarder fabric around the muslin...

Last year I made many necklaces. These are easy to make and can be inexpensive too! I did buy a shirt to go with each necklace but you certainly could just do the necklace...

A few years ago I made these silhouette pillows for my mom from all her grandchildren. She had just redone their spare bedroom and so I made them blue to match...

I made this family tree for my grandparents. I found a stick with the perfect number of twigs! That was the most difficult part! It had to be a little fresh so it could be laid flat. After a week of keeping it flat I just glued it to a board covered with fabric and cut out little leaves. All their children, grand children, and great grandchildren have their name on a leaf. The Husband/Wife are at the bottom and I put boys on one side and girls on the other. There is plenty of room for spouses and great-grandchildren to come...

Hop over and visit Simply Vintage Girl to see some other Christmas Crafting ideas!

You can also stop over to see Monica's Handcrafted Christmas ideas!

~Sewing List for Kiersten~

This doll that looks more like this...

An Amish Puzzle Ball (sometimes called a Cuddle Ball)...

Christmas dress...(it is more red in real life)

A new ribbon blanket...because I wrecked the first one:-( I haven't gone through my stash for fabric for this yet.

I would also like to make a quiet book book like this but it won't be for Christmas... it will probably be for her first birthday.

I did a lot of cutting out and even some sewing over the weekend. I am hoping to complete both the doll and the ball this week.

I can't believe Christmas is just around the corner!!!! I've got a lot to do!

~My Favorite Words~

"Mom, I have to pee"

We are potty training this week! So far, so good!

~Super Soups~

I purchased two cook books to learn more about using my pressure cooker, my high capacity mixer & my grinder. I have been going through this one for the past month...





I love seeing all the ingredients ready to add...

I think my favorite, so far, is this creamy chicken soup...

There is only soup we didn't care for. It tasted ok, but it looked gross! I love how many veggies I can feed my family...I love how quickly things cook (like the soup is ready in 30 minutes including chopping everything up!...I also love the price (soup is a less expensive meal!)

I haven't tried too many bread recipes yet, but so far the cook book has been worth it!